Sunday, March 23, 2008

Iraq, $5,000 Per Second?

The Iraq war is now going better than expected, for a change. Most critics of the war, myself included, blew it: we didn’t anticipate the improvements in security that are partly the result of last year’s “surge.”

The improvement is real but fragile and limited. Here’s what it amounts to: We’ve cut our casualty rates to the unacceptable levels that plagued us back in 2005, and we still don’t have any exit plan for years to come — all for a bill that is accumulating at the rate of almost $5,000 every second!

More important, while casualties in Baghdad are down, we’re beginning to take losses in Florida and California. The United States seems to have slipped into recession; Americans are losing their homes, jobs and health insurance; banks are struggling — and the Iraq war appears to have aggravated all these domestic woes.

“The present economic mess is very much related to the Iraq war,” says Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist. “It was at least partially responsible for soaring oil prices. ...Moreover, money spent on Iraq did not stimulate the economy as much as the same dollars spent at home would have done. To cover up these weaknesses in the American economy, the Fed let forth a flood of liquidity; that, together with lax regulations, led to a housing bubble and a consumption boom.”

Not everyone agrees that the connection between Iraq and our economic hardships is so strong. Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International and author of a book on how America pays for wars, argues that the Iraq war is a negative for the economy but still only a minor factor in the present crisis.

“Is it a significant cause of the present downturn?” Mr. Hormats asked. “I’d say no, but could the money have been better utilized to strengthen our economy? The answer is yes.”

For all the disagreement, there appears to be at least a modest connection between spending in Iraq and the economic difficulties at home. So as we debate whether to bring our troops home, one central question should be whether Iraq is really the best place to invest $411 million every day in present spending alone.

I’ve argued that staying in Iraq indefinitely undermines our national security by empowering jihadis — just as we now know that our military presence in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s was, in fact, counterproductive by empowering Al Qaeda in its early days. On the other hand, supporters of the war argue that a withdrawal from Iraq would signal weakness and leave a vacuum that extremists would fill, and those are legitimate concerns.

But if you believe that staying in Iraq does more good than harm, you must answer the next question: Is that presence so valuable that it is worth undermining our economy?

Granted, the cost estimates are squishy and controversial, partly because the $12.5 billion a month that we’re now paying for Iraq is only a down payment. We’ll still be making disability payments to Iraq war veterans 50 years from now.

Professor Stiglitz calculates in a new book, written with Linda Bilmes of Harvard University, that the total costs, including the long-term bills we’re incurring, amount to about $25 billion a month. That’s $330 a month for a family of four.

A Congressional study by the Joint Economic Committee found that the sums spent on the Iraq war each day could enroll an additional 58,000 children in Head Start or give Pell Grants to 153,000 students to attend college. Or if we’re sure we want to invest in security, then a day’s Iraq spending would finance another 11,000 border patrol agents or 9,000 police officers.

Imagine the possibilities. We could hire more police and border patrol agents, expand Head Start and rehabilitate America’s image in the world by underwriting a global drive to slash maternal mortality, eradicate malaria and deworm every child in Africa.

All that would consume less than one month’s spending on the Iraq war.

Moreover, the Bush administration has financed this war in a way that undermines our national security — by borrowing. Forty percent of the increased debt will be held by China and other foreign countries.

“This is the first major war in American history where all the additional cost was paid for by borrowing,” Mr. Hormats notes. If the war backers believe that the Iraq war is so essential, then they should be willing to pay for it partly with taxes rather than charging it.

One way or another, now or later, we’ll have to pay the bill. Professor Stiglitz calculates that the eventual total cost of the war will be about $3 trillion. For a family of five like mine, that amounts to a bill of almost $50,000.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Just before 7 this morning, a few college-aged students blocked the entrance of a Lakeside Avenue parking lot belonging to General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products. Its parent company, General Dynamics, "is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world," reports Sam Maron, a University of Vermont senior who coordinated the event. Maron showed up today "to make a stand and show that, as Vermonters, we want a peace economy, and not one based on war."

The event lasted about five hours and was attended by some two dozen supporters. Maron says he and others intended to cause "disruption" and "financial damage" to the company's operations. No arrests were made, and aside from a "brief traffic congestion," protesters didn't interrupt any business, according to Burlington Deputy Police Chief Walt Decker.

The Lakeside Avenue facility, which is located off Pine Street near the Burlington Department of Public Works, employs about 500 people and is the main facility among three Burlington-area offices. Other General Dynamics employees work a two nearby Burlington laboratories and the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho. The building has been owned at various points by Queen City Cotton Mills, General Electric and Lockheed Martin, another major defense contractor.

Company spokesperson Tim Haddock reports that while the Burlington facilities are primarily used for engineering, company employees also manufacture the "Goalkeeper Close-In Weapon System." The "Goalkeeper" is a 14,000-pound gun that's mounted to ships and can fire up to 4200 shots per minute of "missile-piercing" ammunition. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, General Dynamics spent over $9 million in lobbying during 2006. Ssecurities and Exchange Commission filings confirm that between 2003 and 2007, the company's annual net earnings doubled, from about 1 to 2 billion.

Jennifer Berger, who directs the Burlington Peace & Justice Center's "Recruiting for Peace" campaign, says the protest was intended to raise a larger issue. In her view, General Dynamics' presence in Burlington contradicts the spirit of the town's reputation as a peaceful, environmentally responsible place. Haddock of General Dynamics declines to respond.

This morning's event was also intended to point a finger at Vermont's congressional delegation. In a few days, Maron will be sending a letter to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asking him to withdraw his support for General Dynamics. Over the years, Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has secured millions of dollars worth of defense contracts for the company.

Ever since the Iraq war began in 2003, Burlington activists have questioned the Vermont congressional delegation's stance on war funding. While all the candidates, including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), are vocal critics of U.S. defense policy, they have all signed legislation that enables defense-related spending. House Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) who is up for reelection this November, has thus far accepted $3500 from General Dynamics in the 2007-2008 election cycle. "If Peter Welch wants to really live up to his words and show that he is against the Iraq war," says Maron, "he should return the money."

"I don't deal in any of that arena of campaign matters," says Welch Spokesperson Andrew Savage. "The congressman believes this war is a travesty and agrees with the protestors that it must be ended. Every chance he gets, he'll be voting on that."

"General Dynamics provides good Vermont jobs" and ensures "that our country has the defense it needs," he adds. Peter "completely agrees with the protesters that we have to end the war and the price tag associated with it. But the troops that don't have a vote in the war have to have what they need.'' Welch is a co-sponsor on a new bill, the Government Contractor Accountability Act of 2007, that "would impose oversight on contractors," Savage says.

Earlier today in Montpelier, activists broadcasted audio from the ongoing "Winter Soldier" hearings that were held last weekend in Washington, D.C.. "Winter Soldier" is an anti-war campaign being undertaken by anti-war Iraq veterans that closely mirrors a similar campaign from the 1970s. Earlier this month, four members of a local chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War held a pre-D.C. event at the University of Vermont.

At 7 p.m. tonight, the Langdon Street Café in Montpelier hosts a community discussion entitled, "Beyond Iraq." For more information, call 476-3154.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

An antiwar protester jumped over a barricade in front of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 19, 2008

Filed at 2:37 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Police arrested more than 30 people who blocked entrances at the Internal Revenue Service building Wednesday morning, part of a day of protests to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Demonstrators converged in big cities like Miami and San Francisco, and smaller towns in Vermont and Ohio, among others, to add their voices to a call to end the war.

A marching band led protesters down the street near the National Mall and around the IRS building before about 100 gathered at the main entrance. As police began the arrests, some protesters shouted ''This is a crime scene'' and ''You're arresting the wrong people.''

Brian Bickett, 29, was among the first arrested. The high school theater teacher from New York City said he had never engaged in civil disobedience before.

''We need to find lots of different ways to resist the war, and I decided to try this,'' he said.

The demonstrators said they were focusing on the IRS because it gathers taxes used to fund the war. A spokeswoman for the Federal Protective Service said 32 people were arrested.

About 150 people, mostly with the group Veterans for Peace, marched in Washington, many carrying upside-down American flags.

''That is the signal for distress at high sea and we feel the nation is in distress,'' said 68-year-old George Taylor, a Navy veteran from Takoma Park, Md. Taylor said he had been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.

''I'm proud of my country,'' he said. ''I'm proud of my service to my country. But I'm not proud of what my government is doing now.''

Anti-war protests and vigils were planned around the nation. In Ohio, more than 20 vigils, rallies, marches and other events were planned.

At the American Petroleum Institute in downtown Washington, dozens of protesters held signs reading ''Out of Iraq'' and ''No war, no warming,'' and chanted ''No blood for Oil!''

Craig Etchison, 62, a retired college professor from Cumberland, Md., and a Vietnam veteran, said he has been protesting the war for years.

''I've watched with horror as Bush has lied about this war,'' he said. ''I'm appalled at the number of civilians we've killed just as we did in Vietnam.''

Protesters tried to block traffic, sitting in the street and linking arms. At least once, they were dragged away by police.

''This is the first time coordinated direct actions of civil disobedience are happening,'' Barbra Bearden, communications manager for the group Peace Action, said earlier of the Washington protests. ''People who have never done this kind of action are stepping up and deciding now is the time to do it.''

Meanwhile, a handful of people gathered at a nearby armed forces recruiting center, holding signs such as ''We support our brave military and their just mission.''

''We're out here to show support for our troops on the anniversary of the liberation of Iraq,'' said Kristinn Taylor, 45, of Washington.

''What happens in South Florida is part of what happens in Iraq,'' said Warren Hoskins, president of Miami for Peace, as he gestured toward the Southern Command. ''People who come through here may go to Guantanamo Bay but next they may go to Abu Ghraib.''

In Vermont, about 30 people protested in rain and sleet in front of defense contractor General Dynamics Corp. in Burlington on Wednesday morning, some locking arms to block workers from entering the parking lot.

Protester Jonathan Leavitt, 29, said he showed up ''to say no to war profiteering and yes to building a peace economy.''

The Iraq war has been unpopular both abroad and in the United States, although an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in December showed that growing numbers think the U.S. is making progress and will eventually be able to claim some success in Iraq.

The findings, a rarity in the unpopular war, came amid diminishing U.S. and Iraqi casualties and the start of modest troop withdrawals. Still, majorities remain upset about the conflict and convinced the invasion was a mistake, and the issue still splits the country deeply along party lines.

Activists cite frustration that the war has dragged on for so long and hope the more dramatic actions will galvanize others to protest.

------

Associated Press writers Karen Mahabir in Washington, John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn., and Jennifer Kay and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.

Kelly Riel, left, of Burlington, Vt., and Cassy Gardner, center, joined about 30 protestors comprised of university students, high school students and

AP - Mercredi 19 mars, 19h15

Kelly Riel, left, of Burlington, Vt., and Cassy Gardner, center, joined about 30 protestors comprised of university students, high school students and community members blocking the driveway to General Dynamics in Burlington, Vt., Wednesday, March 19, 2008, in protest of the war in Iraq and to launch what the group is calling a "Peace economy and not war profiteering" campaign. (AP Photo/Alden Pellett)

Iraq war protesters arrested at IRS

By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer 55 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Police arrested more than 30 people who blocked entrances at the Internal Revenue Service building Wednesday morning, part of a day of protests to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Demonstrators converged in big cities like Miami and San Francisco, and smaller towns in Vermont and Ohio, among others, to add their voices to a call to end the war.

A marching band led protesters down the street near the National Mall and around the IRS building before about 100 gathered at the main entrance. As police began the arrests, some protesters shouted "This is a crime scene" and "You're arresting the wrong people."

Brian Bickett, 29, was among the first arrested. The high school theater teacher from New York City said he had never engaged in civil disobedience before.

"We need to find lots of different ways to resist the war, and I decided to try this," he said.

The demonstrators said they were focusing on the IRS because it gathers taxes used to fund the war. A spokeswoman for the Federal Protective Service said 32 people were arrested.

About 150 people, mostly with the group Veterans for Peace, marched in Washington, many carrying upside-down American flags.

"That is the signal for distress at high sea and we feel the nation is in distress," said 68-year-old George Taylor, a Navy veteran from Takoma Park, Md. Taylor said he had been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.

"I'm proud of my country," he said. "I'm proud of my service to my country. But I'm not proud of what my government is doing now."

The marchers' first stop was the National Museum of the American Indian, where they were met by singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, who sang her Vietnam-era peace anthem "Universal Soldier."

Anti-war protests and vigils were planned around the nation. In Ohio, more than 20 vigils, rallies, marches and other events were planned.

At the American Petroleum Institute in downtown Washington, dozens of protesters held signs reading "Out of Iraq" and "No war, no warming," and chanted "No blood for Oil!"

Craig Etchison, 62, a retired college professor from Cumberland, Md., and a Vietnam veteran, said he has been protesting the war for years.

"I've watched with horror as Bush has lied about this war," he said. "I'm appalled at the number of civilians we've killed just as we did in Vietnam."

Protesters tried to block traffic, sitting in the street and linking arms. At least once, they were dragged away by police.

"This is the first time coordinated direct actions of civil disobedience are happening," Barbra Bearden, communications manager for the group Peace Action, said earlier of the Washington protests. "People who have never done this kind of action are stepping up and deciding now is the time to do it."

Meanwhile, a handful of people gathered at a nearby armed forces recruiting center, holding signs such as "We support our brave military and their just mission."

"We're out here to show support for our troops on the anniversary of the liberation of Iraq," said Kristinn Taylor, 45, of Washington.

"What happens in South Florida is part of what happens in Iraq," said Warren Hoskins, president of Miami for Peace, as he gestured toward the Southern Command. "People who come through here may go to Guantanamo Bay but next they may go to Abu Ghraib."

In Vermont, about 30 people protested in rain and sleet in front of defense contractor General Dynamics Corp. in Burlington on Wednesday morning, some locking arms to block workers from entering the parking lot.

Protester Jonathan Leavitt, 29, said he showed up "to say no to war profiteering and yes to building a peace economy."

The Iraq war has been unpopular both abroad and in the United States, although an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in December showed that growing numbers think the U.S. is making progress and will eventually be able to claim some success in Iraq.

The findings, a rarity in the unpopular war, came amid diminishing U.S. and Iraqi casualties and the start of modest troop withdrawals. Still, majorities remain upset about the conflict and convinced the invasion was a mistake, and the issue still splits the country deeply along party lines.

Activists cite frustration that the war has dragged on for so long and hope the more dramatic actions will galvanize others to protest.

___

Associated Press writers Karen Mahabir in Washington, John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn., and Jennifer Kay and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.

Wednesday marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the War in Iraq, and the event is being marked all over the nation by protests and rallies.

In Burlington, a group of demonstrators gathered outside the General Dynamics building-- one of the companies that manufactures weapons for the war. The group held a non-violent rally, blocking the gates to the parking lot so employees were forced to park elsewhere. Organizers believe taxpayer dollars should be used for education and healthcare, instead of war funding.

"We need to build a peace economy here for Vermont's future- not to further tie Vermont to the Bush administration's failed Iraq policy," said organizer Jonathan Leavitt.

Event organizers claim that General Dynamics is the sixth largest profiteer in the Iraq War. Rachael Morrow - WCAX News

Jen Berger, 36, of Burlington shouts in protest to the war in Iraq at a peace rally in front of General Dynamics in Burlington on Wednesday March 19, 2008 - the five year anniversary of the US occupation in Iraq.EMILY J. NELSON, Free Press

Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008BURLINGTON -- A group of demonstrators that included University of Vermont students held a protest rally this morning at General Dynamics on Lakeside Avenue.

Burlington police were on the scene before 8 a.m., monitoring the event.

In a news release, students said they planned to "come together to engage in non-violent civil disobedience and hold a rally at war-profiteer General Dynamics' Weapons Development and Design Facility to protest the theft of millions of Vermont tax dollars to support General Dynamics."

Under the banner "Peace Economy not War Profiteering", students say, protesters are calling on General Dynamics to immediately cease receiving corporate welfare in the form of Vermont Tax Subsidies.

UVM students say they have called on their Alma Mater to divest it's investment in General Dynamics.

"As a UVM student I was outraged to learn my tuition dollars and tax dollars were being invested in the production of Weapons of Mass Destruction at General Dynamics," said UVM student Sam Maron. "UVM's identity as a green university is shallow and empty until it refuses to do business with war profiteers like General Dynamics that parasitically steal from the American economy”.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Take a sick day to show the war profiteers how sick you are of their Iraq Recession!

Protest at General Dynamics

Pine St and Lakeside AveBurlington, VT7:30am Wed. March 19The 5th anniversary of the Iraq War

Picket war profiteers! General Dynamics is the world’s 6th largest war profiteer, profiting off the death and destruction of the US’ illegal occupation of Iraq, $27 billion last year alone, while simultaneously taking millions in tax breaks from VT. We want a Peace Economy, not an Iraq Recession! At the close of the 5th year of war, we say NOT HERE, NOT ANYWHERE!

If you are not in Burlington there are protests and nonviolent civil disobedience happening around the country and around the world. Find the one closest to you here: http://events.unitedforpeace.org/5yearstoomany